Within the Mexican American barrios of Los Angeles, gang activity, including crime and violent acts, has grown and flourished. In the past, community leaders and law enforcement officials have approached the problem, not as something that needs to be understood, but only as something to be gotten rid of. Rejecting that approach, James D. Vigil asserts that only by understanding the complex factors that give birth and persistence to gangs can gang violence be ended.

Drawing on many years of experience in the barrios as a youth worker, high school teacher, and researcher, Vigil identifies the elements from which gangs spring: isolation from the dominant culture, poverty, family stress and crowded households, peer pressure, and the adolescent struggle for self-identity. Using interviews with actual gang members, he reveals how the gang often functions as parent, school, and law enforcement in the absence of other role models in the gang members' lives. And he accounts for the longevity of gangs, sometimes over decades, by showing how they offer barrio youth a sense of identity and belonging nowhere else available.

Author Bio

Vigil, James Diego : University of California

James Diego Vigil is Professor of Social Ecology at the University of California, Irvine.

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Within the Mexican American barrios of Los Angeles, gang activity, including crime and violent acts, has grown and flourished. In the past, community leaders and law enforcement officials have approached the problem, not as something that needs to be understood, but only as something to be gotten rid of. Rejecting that approach, James D. Vigil asserts that only by understanding the complex factors that give birth and persistence to gangs can gang violence be ended.

Drawing on many years of experience in the barrios as a youth worker, high school teacher, and researcher, Vigil identifies the elements from which gangs spring: isolation from the dominant culture, poverty, family stress and crowded households, peer pressure, and the adolescent struggle for self-identity. Using interviews with actual gang members, he reveals how the gang often functions as parent, school, and law enforcement in the absence of other role models in the gang members' lives. And he accounts for the longevity of gangs, sometimes over decades, by showing how they offer barrio youth a sense of identity and belonging nowhere else available.

Author Bio

Vigil, James Diego : University of California

James Diego Vigil is Professor of Social Ecology at the University of California, Irvine.

Digital Rights

eBook Requirements

VitalSource Bookshelf ReaderMinimum System Requirements:

Windows 7/8, or Mac OS X 10.6 or above

Software Requirements:

eTextbooks and eChapters can be viewed by using the free reader listed below.

Be sure to check the format of the eTextbook/eChapter you purchase to know which reader you will need. After purchasing your eTextbook or eChapter, you will be emailed instructions on where and how to download your free reader.

Download Requirements:

Due to the size of eTextbooks, a high-speed Internet connection (cable modem, DSL, LAN) is required for download stability and speed. Your connection can be wired or wireless.

Being online is not required for reading an eTextbook after successfully downloading it. You must only be connected to the Internet during the download process.

Copying - Books that cannot be copied will show "Not Allowed." Otherwise, this will detail the number of times it can be copied, or "Allowed with no limits."

Printing - Books that cannot be printed will show "Not Allowed." Otherwise, this will detail the number of times it can be printed, or "Allowed with no limits."

Expires - Books that have no expiration (the date upon which you will no longer be able to access your eBook) will read "No Expiration." Otherwise it will state the number of days from activation (the first time you actually read it).

Reading Aloud - Books enabled with the "text-to-speech" feature so that they can be read aloud will show "Allowed."

Sharing - Books that cannot be shared with other computers will show "Not Allowed."

Min. Software Version - This is the minimum software version needed to read this book.

Suitable Devices - Hardware known to be compatible with this book. Note: Reader software still needs to be installed.